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Reflective Summary IDEA LAW

Vince Ramón Hernández Chávez

Curriculum Development & Modification (E1A)

Dr. Petronella Cameron

Sunday, September 1st 2024

The instructions outlined in Carla's IEP are precise and straightforward. They address her

vision, hearing, motor, cognitive, communication, and assistive technology needs. These

guidelines assist the team in developing an objective statement and present levels, as well as in

creating academic, functional, transition, and related service goals with objectives. The

guidelines also provide specific instructions and related provisions for Carla's plan. They are

comprehensive and require the team to summarize Carla's functioning throughout her day and in

various settings, with a strong emphasis on her use of assistive technology. The guidelines also

highlight the importance of integrating provisions for Carla into her individualized duties and the

team's instructions when working with her.

The IEP that outlines Carla's educational program is lacking essential details. There is a

lack of specific information regarding Carla's current educational and functional abilities,

program adjustments and assistance, behavior intervention plan, goal progress, and transition

plans. Inadequate planning for Carla's move from Tennessee Early Special Education services

(TEIS) to the local education agency (LEA) has led to errors in the provision of services and

monitoring of goal progress. Based on her case study, Carla requires specialized instruction from

special education teachers, visual learning aids, personalized learning support based on data

collection, fading prompt to encourage independence, and unique communication assistance. The

aim of Carla's post is to offer an alternative approach to analyzing Carla's case using the

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as a framework for overseeing and

evaluating Carla's education.

Carla's IEP provides a comprehensive overview of her educational needs, including her

positive attributes, aspirations, and intervention plan. It addresses behavioral and

social/emotional objectives and outlines a strategy for her personal growth. Key components
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such as inclusion focus, academic performance, recommendations, safety plan, and support

services form a solid foundation for her education. Carla's IEP has drawbacks. It offers more

assistance and reassurance for parents. Program determination is based on physical, academic,

support, and security considerations, not parental preference. Carla's assessment findings inform

IEP decisions for her education and support.

A 504 plan could offer particular adjustments that directly address the hearing loss or

anxiety, such as preferential seating, reduced noise adjustments, no penalties for in-class

assignments that can be completed with auxiliary aids (e.g. reading aloud), no grade penalty for

late work related to the hearing loss, modified gym accommodations to prevent injury from the

cochlear implant, and other suitable accommodations. Research suggests that there may be more

students with selective mutism in schools, possibly due to delayed diagnosis. These students may

receive support under learning disabilities programs like Resource or Title services. The 504 plan

is often chosen for its accommodations without being too extensive. Additionally, a teacher or

counselor may conduct a Functional Behavioral Assessment and offer a few behavior

intervention strategies. Implementing these interventions can help reduce anxiety and shyness,

leading to a more conducive classroom environment for academic instruction.

The team foresees potential difficulties for educators in carrying out an Individualized

Education Plan (IEP) for Carla. Constraints such as limited time, diverse needs, and large class

sizes could impede the successful implementation of the plan. It may be necessary to conduct

smaller group sessions. Educators may encounter challenges in providing adaptations and

disseminating information to individual students or the entire class, potentially leading to adverse

outcomes and grievances. A teacher has stated that it is excessively time-consuming to enforce

accommodations and provide daily feedback to students. The implementation of testing

accommodations for Carla could potentially cause disparities in student assessments. It is

imperative for teachers to be adequately prepared to effectively implement these strategies. The

findings may contribute to recommending professional development resources for teachers.

The case study of Carla's individual education program (IEP) carefully examines the

educational rights of children with impairments. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

(IDEA) is discussed in regard to the case study critique. It specifically looks at how an IDEA-

compliant school district responded to the case study. There are criticisms pertaining to the

history of IDEA and its effects on the staff and school. Carla, a sixteen-year-old girl, has

craniosynostosis from birth. Even after three years of getting special education assistance, she

was still having trouble with her social and academic skills. Carla, a sixteen-year-old girl, has

craniosynostosis from birth. Even after three years of getting special education assistance, she

was still having trouble with her social and academic skills. Carla struggled to focus, pay

attention, and understand spoken language. For the 2016–17 academic year, her special

education team suggested adding more speech language services. This case study was created,

nevertheless, because her parents believed the team misjudged her needs.

The way that students with disabilities are taught in public schools has drastically

changed over the past fifty years. Court rulings, legislative successes, and a general public

awareness campaign brought disabled youngsters from the streets into classrooms. These

achievements gave families and students with impairments rights that they had not previously

had. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the law that has had the most

impact in this regard. A long-standing trend that had prevented the majority of students from

receiving a meaningful education was broken by IDEA, which established a public school

system for students with disabilities. Students with disabilities have the right to a least restrictive
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environment (LRE) for their free and adequate public education (FAPE) under the IDEA. An

IEP, which guarantees tailored education with adjustments and accommodations, specialized

assistance, and difficult yet attainable goals, must be given to each student. (Fine, 2022)

Carla's IEP annual goals are by definition intended to "meet other educational needs that

result from the student's disability" in addition to "address the student's unique long-term needs

that result from the student's disability to enable the student to be involved in and progress in the

general curriculum". Carla has to feel that these objectives are "meaningful and provide

nontrivial educational benefit" (Lassonde, 1986). Her long-term needs are preparedness for

school and literacy; the latter must be reflected in the goals. Annual targets "must be objectively

measurable criteria that will be used to evaluate whether the student's educational program and

plan are successful in achieving the results expected for the student under those goals”.

Carla was completely reevaluated for all areas of need earlier in the year. However, her

most recent triennial evaluation was for learning and emotional disturbance. This is a direct

violation of the requirements of IDEA. It states in section 300.532(a) that: A public agency must

ensure that the evaluation is sufficiently comprehensive to identify all of the child's special

education and related service’s needs, all areas of concern ensuring that the child is properly

evaluated for the areas of suspected need, including through the use of a variety of assessment

tools and strategies to gather relevant functional, developmental, and academic information.

Carla was exhibiting a sensory impairment and possible hearing loss. Since these areas were not

obvious areas of need to the staff, the needs were not addressed on the prior Individual Education

Plan (IEP). (Muñoz, 2024)

It is perfectly clear in the comments Rachel made to the IEP counselor from the State

Personnel Development Grant that given Carla's noted hearing impairment, a speech and
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language pathologist should conduct a formal speech and language evaluation. Since Carla did

not indicate a need for adapted physical education during the school hours, two months later, her

mother requested the adapted physical education during after-school hours. The evaluation was

conducted by the physical education specialist, who proposed related services to include

activities for physical movement and management such as yoga or yoga ball movements. All of

these evaluations should have been conducted as part of the three-year re-evaluation process to

determine if Carla exhibited the needs in those areas and met the IDEA eligibility for the

services. (Bowen, 2024)

In looking at the various services that were outlined in the In an analysis of Carla's

Individualized Education Program (IEP), it provides a comprehensive explanation of her current

educational needs and overall functional level. The IEP clearly outlines that she was functioning

at an early fourth grade level at the beginning of the school year. Additionally, it details various

strategies and objectives aimed at facilitating her educational progress. These include

participation in an inclusion setting for larger group activities and receiving Adaptive Physical

Education (APE) services to improve strength and coordination. In the inclusion setting, Carla

receives support in regular education and supplemental instruction from special education when

needed. She also works with a speech therapist to improve her pronunciation and learn new

sounds, in addition to setting writing goals related to paragraph structure, complete sentences,

grammar, and capitalization, one can clearly see that most of the principles of IDEA are closely

followed in the IEP. Since IDEA mandated that schools offer a Free Appropriate Education, the

school and staff had to offer several types of educational services that would help address her

IEP instructional goals, strength and coordination. The instructional goals of a monthly percent

increase in spelling words, correct sounds, and reduced sentence errors fall under goal setting in
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the IEP. The plan of services to assist Carla in the regular education classroom would be to offer

inclusion setting for larger group experiences, as well as breaking the tasks into smaller parts and

spending extra time with her in the areas that are harder for her. This would, in principle, address

the goal of educating Carla in the least restrictive environment, foster inclusion in regular

education activities to ensure she is not only included but grows in the general ed. curriculum.

The implementation of LRE in Carla's case consists of a combination of inclusive

education and pull-out services, ensuring that the child does not receive two separate sets of

educational services in a single day. It is crucial to assess the extent to which participation in the

regular education program meets the child's needs. If a standard assessment tool does not

adequately measure progress, it does not meet the educational requirements of LRE. The district

court's decision to base each plan on the specific educational needs of the child in the emotional

behavior disability category and to prioritize the least restrictive learning environment is

appropriate. It is important to note that the school district's choice of school for Carla, and

especially the decision not to place her in the self-contained section, should be based on the best

interests of the student and their unique needs, as mandated by IDEA's LRE provision.

Carla's parents expressed concerns to the IEP team that the school had excluded them,

believing Carla was doing fine without their input. The team agreed to revise the IEP process to

include the family's perspective, resulting in a supportive and empowering plan. Both school

staff and parents were motivated to make changes in school practices to support Carla's

education. This process allowed teachers and parents to understand the importance of Carla's

current curriculum and shift the focus from academic skills to academic and social goals. With

this shift, students and parents can discuss and agree on the student's academic plan, which is an
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important part of the vocational rehabilitation process and promotes personal responsibility as a

family value.

The term "safeguard" is utilized in the IDEA and is defined as a practical action or series

of actions that effectively guarantee the protection of the rights of individuals with disabilities or

their parents. This must be specifically tailored to ensure that individual rights are protected to

the necessary extent. In the BIFS, it is crucial to include specific written assurances in our

contract with a contractor to consider all parties, with ethics serving as a safeguard. Additionally,

ongoing feedback during monitoring serves as a mechanism of safeguard at a broader level. The

Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a crucial component of the Individuals with

Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It serves as a means of communication between parents and

schools, outlining their collaborative efforts with consistency and transparency. Failure to adhere

to the IEP is a direct violation of the IDEA, requiring swift action and open communication.

Conclusion

Carla's IEP documents and the recommendations of the IEP teams indicate clear

violations of IDEA's requirements to consider and provide instruction in the general curriculum

for minimally responsive or low-functioning students. Concern is also raised regarding her

teacher's apparent lack of understanding of IDEA, despite nearly 20 years of teaching experience

that includes time at a school for children with ID. The teachers' lack of expertise in student

abilities, curriculum adaptation and modification, and IDEA during the study period places a

burden on Carla that disregards 30 years of case law and statutory requirements, and has not

been shown to lead to increased student standards mastery. Therefore, this study should be a

cautionary tale for parents, advocates, and educators to establish a formalized process for

professional development and technical assistance needs analyses, provision of high-quality

programs for the instruction of students with intellectual disabilities, and assessment of how

teachers are implementing inclusive opportunity and achievement for their students with

intellectual and developmental disabilities, particularly those who are severely impaired.
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References

C Fine - Education Law Center, 2022 - ERIC. Transition Planning under IDEA for students with

disabilities: A guide for advocates. ed.gov

C Bowen - 2024 - open-access.bcu.ac.uk. An Exploration of 'Evental Learning': a New

Pedagogical Approach to the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics. bcu.ac.uk

B Muñoz - 2024 - digitalcommons.nl.edu. A Program Evaluation of the Necessary Attributes,

Accommodations, and Resources Neurodivergent Students Require for Success in Higher

Education. nl.edu